Playwrights and composers have long transported audiences by creating vivid representations of lives or history through scripts and lyrics. Here, we explore actual U.S. locales many Broadway and movie musicals are set in.

CALIFORNIA

Los Angeles

Set in 1987, "Rock of Ages" tells the story of an aspiring rocker working as a busboy in a Hollywood club on the Sunset Strip, an actual 1.5-mile stretch of Sunset Boulevard known for its eccentric storefronts, bright neon and wild nightlife. The show's soundtrack of '80s rock hits evokes the colorful glam metal and heavy metal scene of the decade.

Famous locations today include the Whisky, Laugh Factory and House of Blues. Every August, the street is shut down for the Sunset Strip Music Festival. Visitors can stay at the Andaz West Hollywood, a former Hyatt once dubbed "The Riot House" by visiting bands.

Meredith Willson, composer and playwright of "The Music Man", was a native of this small city. His fictional town of River City was based on the people and places of his childhood. Set in 1912, the musical follows salesman Harold Hill's arrival in the stubborn and suspicious town to con the locals and charm the local librarian, Marion.

The composer's boyhood home, historical museum, and The Music Man Square are open to the public Tuesdays through Sundays. Since 1928, the city has annually hosted the North Iowa Band Festival, with its emphasis on marching bands. The 1962 film's premier was held in the town, with stars Shirley Jones and Robert Preston in attendance.

Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Oklahoma!" is set in 1906 during the transition from territory into statehood. One of the most beloved musicals, the show was based on Lynn Riggs' 1931 play, "Green Grow the Lilacs." The Lynn Riggs Memorial Museum, open weekdays, houses the original surrey with the fringe on the top from the Academy Award-winning 1955 film version.

The downtown is located on historic Route 66 and there are many attractions and tributes honoring another former resident, humorist Will Rogers.

A exterior view of the Palace Theatre in New York City. Neilson Barnard/Getty Images
Craig Bierko dances with the company in a scene from the 2000 revival of Meredith Willson's "The Music Man." ASSOCIATED PRESS
Oklahoma! takes place in 1906 during the transition from territory into statehood.
Hairspray is set in Baltimore.
Republican presidential hopeful former Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn., speaks during a meeting with local residents, Friday, Sept. 7, 2007, at The Music Man Square in Mason City, Iowa. ASSOCIATED PRESS

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